Field of the Invention
The invention relates to surgical stabilizers of the type used in cardiac surgery and, more particularly, to a single-arm surgical stabilizer having suction capability.
Description of the Prior Art
Idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS), also known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is a disease characterized by marked hypertrophy of the left ventricle, involving in particular the interventricular septum and the left ventricular outflow tract. During systole, the hypertrophied muscle in the outflow tract often narrows this region sufficiently to produce obstruction to left ventricular ejection. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the enlargement and arrangement of muscle fibers are abnormal, leading to thickened heart walls. The most thickening tends to happen in the left ventricle (the heart's central pumping chamber), especially in the septum, the wall that separates the left and right ventricles. The thickening reduces the size of the pumping chamber and obstructs blood flow. It also prevents the heart from properly relaxing between beats and so filling with blood. Types of Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy includes ASH and HOCM.
There are a number of treatment options for IHSS, including lifestyle changes, medications, pacemakers and surgery. Various drugs are used to treat this disease. They comprise beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, antiarrhythmic medications, and diuretics.
Pacemakers vary the pattern and reduce the force of the heart's contractions. The pacemaker can diminish the degree of obstruction and so relieve symptoms. Surgery generally calls for removal of part of the thickened septum (the muscle wall separating the chambers) that is blocking the blood stream. Surgery to eliminate the thickening eases symptoms in about 70 percent of patients but results in death in about 1 to 3 percent of patients. Also, about 5 percent of those who have surgery develop a slow heartbeat, which is then corrected with a pacemaker.
In the course of surgically treating cardiac problems such as IHSS or HOCM it is necessary to position the septum in a desired position. This can be problematic because it is difficult to grasp septum, particularly if the septum is accessed through the aorta.
Desirably, a technique would be available that would permit the surgeon to be able to grasp the septum during the course of conducting a surgical procedure so as to stabilize the septum. Preferably, such a technique would be able to push or pull the septum to any desired position and hold it there as long as necessary.